Joseph "Joe" Cabot (1919–1992) was an Irish-American crime boss who led the Cabot Gang in Los Angeles from the 1960s to the 1990s. Cabot was killed along with his son and second-in-command, Eddie in the aftermath of the failed 1992 L.A. diamond heist he organized, during a shootout with his associate Larry Dimmick over a disagreement about who was the undercover police officer who infiltrated and foiled the job.
Biography[]
Criminal career[]
Born in 1919 to a family of Irish descent in Los Angeles, Cabot got immersed into organized crime at a young age, partaking in various heists and scores. In his early years, he associated with numerous renowned mobsters, including stickup artist Larry Dimmick. He eventually formed his own crime syndicate, placing his son Eddie as underboss; this was to groom him for succession as boss.
Cabot befriended and hired Dimmick and another criminal and drug dealer known as "Mr. Pink" into his organization. Eddie also fell in with Vic Vega, a career criminal Cabot would later employ on many of his jobs, until he was arrested in 1988 by the police in a warehouse where he had kept many stolen items from a heist: he would be sentenced to four years in prison. Cabot operated his gang from a mansion in Los Angeles, where Marsellus Wallace and the Wallace Organization held dominion of the criminal underworld.
Preparation of the heist[]
In 1992, Cabot plotted the theft of Karina's Wholesale Diamonds jewelry store, accounting for the fact that around that time a shipment of Israeli diamonds was being imported into the shop. Cabot intended to steal the diamonds and retire to Hawaii, along with his crew of six men. He first enlisted the help of Dimmick, who reestablished his partnership with Cabot after having gone independent for a few years. Then, he offered the proposition to Vega, who had just gotten out of prison and was still on parole, though took up the job anyway out of loyalty.
After hiring three other robbers, including Mr. Pink, Cabot took in undercover police officer Freddy Newandyke, who would foil the heist by alerting the LAPD of the robbery before it took place. All the members of the heist crew didn't know each other's real names and were instead given the names of colors so none of them could reveal information on each other; Mr. White (Dimmick), Mr. Blonde (Vega), Mr. Orange (Newandyke), Mr. Pink, Mr. Brown and Mr. Blue.
The failed heist and death[]
Police officers were already waiting for the robbers around the perimeter of the store, and the heist was further complicated when Vega, an unstable psychopath, gunned down a dozen civilians when they panicked after the alarm went off, attracting a ruthless police response. Despite complications, Mr. Pink was able to steal the diamonds, carjack a passer-by, evade the police after a shootout and escape to the warehouse used as the arranged meeting place. Mr. Brown and Mr. Blue both died from police fire, and Newandyke was shot in the stomach by a civilian he and Dimmick carjacked and killed, leaving him in severe condition before they drove off to the hideout. On the way there, Vega kidnapped police officer Marvin Nash for information on the mole amongst them. Being left alone with Nash and a wounded, unconscious Newandyke while the others and Eddie went to dispose of the stolen getaway cars, Vega brutally tortured him, cutting off his right ear and dousing him in gasoline. Before he could light him on fire, Newandyke, regaining consciousness, shot Vega to death.
Joe and Eddie Cabot's corpses after having been shot by Larry Dimmick
When Eddie, Dimmick and Mr. Pink came back and found Vega's body, Newandyke, forced to confess he killed him, faked a story about Vega saying he would turn on and kill him and all of them then keep the diamonds for himself. Eddie, after finishing off Nash by shooting him, refused to believe his story since it wasn't consistent with his perception of Vega. He was backed by Cabot, who came in at that moment and confidently claimed Newandyke was the mole. Dimmick tried to confront him on this, but Cabot was convinced and attempted to shoot Newandyke. Before he could do so, he was held at gunpoint by Dimmick, who in turn had a gun pointed at him by Eddie, making the conflict a classic Mexican standoff. Despite Dimmick's threat, Cabot shot Newandyke in the shoulder, before being shot in the chest and killed by Dimmick, who sustained fire from Eddie but killed him as well.
Gallery[]
_-_Mexican_standoff._I%27m_a_cop,_Larry_._4-3_screenshot_(2).png "Reservoir Dogs (1992) - Mexican standoff. I'm a cop, Larry . 4-3 screenshot (2).png (806 KB)")